A burned out pickup truck, which police say was driven by Billy Morvent, 59, of Rumford, is seen Wednesday morning after it crashed into a neighbor’s home on State Route 232 on Tuesday night. Police Chief Tony Milligan said Morvent fired on people at the home and set it on fire before returning to his home at 76 State Route 232 where he was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head early Wednesday morning. Morvent was listed in stable condition at a Portland hospital, Police Chief Tony Milligan said. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
RUMFORD — A local man was found in his home early Wednesday morning with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, hours after police say he crashed his truck into a nearby home, set it on fire and fired at people there.
Billy Morvent, 59, of 76 State Route 232 was listed in stable condition at Maine Medical Center in Portland where he was under police guard, Rumford Police Chief Tony Milligan said in a statement Wednesday.
He was initially charged with felony criminal threatening with a deadly weapon, reckless conduct and felony aggravated criminal mischief.
The incident began about 8 p.m. when the Oxford County Regional Communications Center in South Paris received 911 calls reporting hearing gunfire near Morvent’s residence. As Rumford police responded, more calls reported Morvent had left his home, crashed his pickup truck into the Matthew Thurston residence at Jade’s Homegrown Farms at 61 State Route 232, and was firing a rifle at people and the residence, according to Milligan.
Officers learned Morvent, still armed, had fled on foot in the neighborhood. Reports also indicated three people had taken cover in a nearby ditch and that Thurston’s residence was on fire.
Multiple law enforcement teams coordinated to contain the area, provide cover for a limited crew of firefighters, rescue the three people hiding in the ditch, and safeguard nearby residents, the chief said.
Drones equipped with thermal imaging, provided by Norway Police Department, Rumford and Jay fire departments, and Maine State Police, aiding in the search, monitoring for victims and supporting officers’ movements.
Residents were alerted via social media and the Maine Emergency Management Agency’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System and advised to shelter in place.
The Maine State Police Tactical Team negotiators successfully convinced Morvent to surrender peacefully shortly before 1 a.m., after he was contained within his home.
Rumford police seized multiple firearms and a large cache of ammunition at the house and recovered the AR-style rifle believed to have been used during the incident.
Milligan said assistance was provided by the Oxford County and Franklin County sheriff’s offices, Maine State Police, Paris, Norway, Wilton police departments, and the Maine Warden Service. Fire departments from Rumford and neighboring towns along with the Rumford Highway Department established roadblocks around the area.
He said the Rumford Police Department is working jointly with investigators of the Office of State Fire Marshal and the District Attorney’s Office on the criminal investigation and are expected to bring additional charges.
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